The present invention resides in an improvement in insulation, and deals more particularly with an insulation article usable by itself as a thermal barrier and vapor disperser or with a fibrous medium to increase the efficiency of the fibrous medium as a thermal barrier and vapor disperser.
In insulation systems inhibiting the escape of thermal energy from a warm environment into a colder environment, use of a fibrous medium such as fiberglass, mineral wool, slag wool or rock wool to form a thermal barrier is well known. Typically the fibrous medium is placed between studs in a wall or ceiling system and have at least one outwardly or inwardly directed face covered by an exterior or interior wall. While these fibrous mediums alone do provide significant resistance to heat passage, it is also common to use a foil facing with such a medium to increase its resistance to thermal energy passage. The facing is usually bonded to the side of the fibrous medium oriented toward the thermal source thus reflecting otherwise escaping heat passing through the medium. While the foil facing does provide the fibrous medium with an increased thermal resistance, its orientation toward the thermal source also enables it to function as a vapor barrier so that water vapor and other vapors generated within the insulated environment may be prohibited from being trapped in the fibrous medium by the facing. Alternately, if the facing is bonded to the fibrous medium oriented away from the thermal source, it would still reflect otherwise escaping heat passing through the medium. However, such vapors generated within the insulated environment would likely become trapped within the fibrous medium by the facing and be prohibited from diffusing into the outside environment. A number of problems may arise from such trapped vapors. In a living space, for example, harmful vapors may be emitted by domestic fluids and sprays and may linger in the air when not allowed to escape through the medium. Windows and doors are usually closed, if not sealed, during winter months and thus further contribute to the entrapment of vapors. Generally, much of the vapor in an insulated environment is water vapor generated by domestic functions such as cooking and showering. When water vapor is not allowed to diffuse out of the fibrous insulation medium, the entrapped vapor fills spaces otherwise occupied by insulating air and lowers the ability of the medium to function as a thermal barrier. Furthermore, the entrapped water vapor may condense into water droplets and cause rot, mildew or other water damage of the adjacent wall or roof structure.
Accordingly an object of the present invention is to provide an article of insulation usable by itself as a thermal barrier and vapor disperser, but especially advantageously usable with a fibrous medium to increase the efficiency of the fibrous medium as both a thermal barrier and a vapor disperser.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for controllably diffusing water vapor contained in a fibrous insulation medium into an outside environment.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an insulation article which may be formed independently of a fibrous medium and which can be used to enhance the insulating efficiency of a fibrous medium with which it is later associated.